


Haunted

by wdjackies



Category: That 70’s show
Genre: After Season 8, F/M, Fluff, zenmasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wdjackies/pseuds/wdjackies
Summary: A few days after New Year’s Day Steven Hyde realizes something he didn’t think he would have ever felt again.
Relationships: Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde, burkhyde
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Haunted

A few days had passed since Jackie and Fez had finally gotten together and Steven Hyde couldn’t stop thinking about how wrong he was for letting her go, for never getting the chance to fix things and get back together. Every time he saw her walking in the room his eyes were captured by her light and then Fez would come in and they would kiss or hold hands in front of him and Steven would just say something like “Ugh, get a room you two” but inside he really was dying to get out of there. It was like the walls in the room were slowly coming closer to him, trying to suffocate him.  
He didn’t know what was happening to him. He thought everything he ever felt for the brunette vanished but just like that it all came back, even stronger than before, and he didn’t know what to do.  
Should he talk to her and tell her how he felt? Or maybe it was better to just let it go?  
I mean, she seemed happy with Fez so why would he take that away from her? He couldn’t be that selfish.  
But then again he had never felt this way before, she was the one and he had finally understood that. It was too late though.

“Hi, Steven!” said Jackie entering the room and sitting on the couch next to him. He looked at her carefully, she was beautiful that morning. Well, actually, she always was. “How’s it going?”

“Fine.” that’s all he had to say, he was afraid that she would read him and understand what was going on inside his head. 

“Hey...uhm, Steven?” said she, her voice soft as if she wanted to ask him something very important.

“Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?” she asked him, a little frown on her face. “Seriously, I know that we never really fixed things between us and now I’m with Fez but you’re one of the most important persons in my life and I just...well, you know you can always talk to me right? About anything.”

“Jackie,” he said, looking at her in the eyes. She nodded in response and slightly smiled at him, that made it even more difficult for him to maintain his cold facade. “when exactly did you stop being shallow and mean? You never said something like that to me, actually to anyone.”

Jackie suddenly flinched, she was looking at him with teary eyes. He didn’t think he could have hurt her even more but here they were. 

“Okay, I get it.” she put on a smile and got up from the couch, Steven’s eyes followed her every move. “I knew it was a mistake to ever get close to you, you always treat me like I’m the most horrible person in this world. And yes, I may be shallow and mean but you know what, Steven? I do have feelings and you keep breaking my heart, why? What did I ever do to you to make you act like this? Did you ever love me? Because at this point I’m starting to think that what we had was all just a lie.”

He didn’t know what to say, he just got up and stood there looking at the only girl he ever truly loved. He couldn’t take it.

“Wow,” her voice cracked as she spoke again. “I guess I’m right then. Okay.”

She stormed out of the basement, leaving him in there all alone. As soon as he realized what had happened he run after her and, to his surprise, she was still there.  
She was sitting on the vista cruiser with her hands on her face, he could hear her cry from where he was. Seeing her like this made him remember of that time he saw her crying at the game and didn’t do anything to comfort her.  
He had kicked himself a million times for not doing it that day. He hated to see her sad, because when she cried all the light that surrounded her was gone and she was just so vulnerable, she looked like she could fall down into pieces right then and there.

“Jackie.” he called her, walking slowly toward her. “Listen, I’m sorry okay?”

“For what? Never loving me? It’s fine, don’t worry.” she said coldly. “I mean, why do I even bother at this point. For god’s sake I’m with Fez, a guy who actually loves me, and here I am making a fool out of myself for you.”

“Hey, it’s alright okay? You’re gonna be fine.” he told her, taking her hand in his. At first she pushed him away but then accepted to take his hand in hers. “And you know what? It’s not true.”

“What?” she looked at him.

“I don’t know why you think that but it’s not true. I did love you, I still do.” 

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

“Steven...”

“Jackie.”

“You love me?”

Hyde didn’t know what to do next, but most importantly he didn’t know why he said that. It was like he wasn’t even thinking and the words just managed to get out by themselves. 

“Steven?” she called his name again, but he didn’t say a word. He was so shocked and he couldn’t believe he had actually told her that he loved her.  
Then he looked at her and realized something.

“Wait, Jackie?” said he surprised. “Why are you wearing that?”

The brunette widened her eyes and glanced at the t-shirt she was wearing that day. She didn’t even know why she had decided to wear it to begin with.

“I...” she stumbled on the right words to say. “I just...if you want it back it’s okay, I’m sorry I kept it. After all it’s your favorite t-shirt.”

Steven smiled and squeezed her hand, she looked so tiny sat there on the car with her puffy eyes. 

“No, it’s not that.” he told her. “I’m just surprised you’re actually wearing it.”

“Oh...okay then.” she looked more relaxed now. “So...”

“So...”

They glanced at each other and chuckled.

“Sorry, you first.” said Jackie, her eyes fixed on their hands still intertwined. 

“I just wanted to say that-“ but he was cut off by Donna.

“Hey guys!” she said, walking in their direction. At first she didn’t realize what was happening but as soon as she was closer to them she saw the look on their faces and how close they were to one another and tried to connect the dots. “Wait a second, what’s going on here? Hyde?”

“Nothing’s happening.” said the boy. 

“So Donna, are you ready to go to college? Is everything packed?” asked Jackie, trying to change the topic of the conversation. 

“You’re not fooling me guys, what the hell is going on here? And why are you two holding hands?”

“We’re not!” protested the both of them. 

“You sure about that?” asked their friend, nodding toward their hands. “So? Care to explain?”

“We were just talking.” Hyde tried to explain to their friend, in order for her to back off and leave them alone; Jackie was dying to know what the boy was about to tell her before her best friend interrupted them. “Look, man, don’t worry about it alright? She’s with Fez now, I’m not trying to do anything.”  
The expression on Jackie’s face changed drastically as soon as she heard him say that, she didn’t even know why she felt … how did she even feel anyway? He was right, they weren’t together anymore and, besides, she liked Fez now. Right?  
No, she did like Fez; there was nothing to doubt. But somehow, she couldn’t stop thinking about those three words he had said earlier: “I still do.”, then why? Why would he let her be with his friend? He didn’t seem to mind when they went behind Michael’s back, so why would he just let it all go now?  
Maybe she wasn’t worth it after all, she’d never been. Not to Michael, not to him. 

“You better not!” Donna’s voice took her back to reality, where her and Steven weren’t an item anymore, where, theoretically, she should have not cared about what he had told Donna because she was done with him. But was she really? For a long time she had thought that Michael Kelso was her first love, her first everything, and yes, he might have been almost her first everything; but maybe her first love was actually standing beside her, still holding her hand even though her best friend noticed it, even though they weren’t a couple anymore, even though he had explained to the red head that he wasn’t trying to do anything with her. Then again, why would Steven open himself up to her for nothing? 

“Jackie, are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“Huh?” once again she was all up in her head, that was what happened every time she was with him or talked to him. He made her think and sometimes she liked it, but other times she hated it more than she hated not being perfect, and she knew that she wasn’t but at least when she went out of her house she looked like she was and that was all that mattered to her, at least before she started thinking about it. “Sorry, I was thinking about…well, it doesn’t matter. Do you need help choosing which clothes you should take with you?”

“Actually, I’m all packed.” said Donna, a bit annoyed by the fact that the brunette wasn’t paying attention to her, but she let it slide like she did practically every time they were together. She knew that was how Jackie was and it was okay, it didn’t matter because when she needed her the most she was there, even if she kind of sucked at helping people it was the thought that counted for her. “I was just asking if you wanted to go to the Hub.”

“Oh, yeah let’s go.” Jackie answered right away and got up from the Vista Cruiser, letting go of Steven’s hand. She glanced at him, but he was looking at the asphalt. 

“Great, the others are already there by the way.” Donna informed her, opening the car’s door and sitting on the passenger seat. 

“Figured.” replied Steven, getting in the car without even looking at Jackie. It was like what they talked about a few moments ago didn’t even matter to him, like they never said those words, like nothing ever happened.  
And while she felt her hand cold, as if something was missing, he looked unfazed. 

Maybe she was right, she wasn’t worth it.


End file.
